The Enugu State government has acquired additional 200 hectares of land for the cultivation of cassava in Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state.
This was made known by the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Mr Patrick Ubru during an inspection tour of cassava farmlands in Amagunze, Nkanu East local government council, on Wednesday.
Mr. Ubru, who was accompanied by the Chairman of Nkanu East LGA, Hon. Sydney Okechukwu Edeh, expressed delight over the fertility of lands for the cultivation of a variety of crops in the area, saying the state was working towards achieving food security, as well as for export.
He said the Peter Mbah administration was aiming at becoming one of the top three economically viable states in Nigeria through massive agricultural rebirth.
He assured that the state would establish cassava processing clusters in the three local governments of Uzo-Uwani, Nkanu East, and Aninri for cassava production for bioethanol and others purposes in the cassava value chain.
“I commend the Chairman of Nkanu East LGA for keying into this wonderful initiative of the governor who is very passionate about transforming the agricultural sector of the state, creating jobs and eradicating hunger. Our initiative is Cassava to Bioethanol Value Chain Development, and with this, the governor hopes to unlock the rural areas, create employment opportunities for the people, and make Enugu the food basket of the country.
“We already have markets for our produce, most of which we want to be exporting to Europe and other parts of the world,” Ubru said.
Also speaking, the Nkanu East council chairman, Hon. Sydney Edeh said the target given by the state government to the council was 50 hectares of land, adding that they had already cultivated and planted over 60 hectares of cassava, while looking forward to upscaling to 200 hectares in no distant time.
Commending Governor Mbah for zeal agriculture and food production in the state, Hon. Edeh restated the council’s willingness to partner with the state government in realizing its objectives, stating that the 6 council areas of Enugu East senatorial district had earmarked 100,000 hectares of land for the cultivation of different crops as their contribution to the total 300,000 hectares of land for agricultural projects across the state.
“These agricultural projects will not only generate employment for our people but will also help in reducing insecurity in Nkanu East because some of the forests we have in Nkanu East, especially in Akpawfu. The forests, which served as hideouts for criminals, have totally been turned to cassava farms. So, with the assistance of the state government, we have been able to curtail insecurity by embarking on a good project like this.
“Remember that the governor traveled to Indonesia recently to woo investors. It is our duty to assist the state in making sure that the environment is suitable for business to thrive,” Edeh said.
Some of the officials present at the occasion were the Deputy Chairman of Nkanu East, Hon. Ndubuisi Agbo, Secretary to the local government, Mr. Emeka Nnamene, Supervisor for Agriculture, Sunday Ogbu, Chairman Committee on Agriculture, Chief Sam Udeh, amongst others.
